Rectal pessary



(No Model.)

B. W. COFFEE.

REGTAL PESSARY.

No. 453,880. Patented June 9, 1891.

BUY/VESSES NYE/V7012 ms mums PETERS cm, mom-mum, wuummou, u. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT IV. COFFEE, OF BEDFORD CITY, VIRGINIA.

RECTAL PES SA RY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,880, dated June 9, 1891. Application filed September 10, 1890. Serial No. 364,505. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT W. COFFEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bedford City, in the county of Bedford and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rectal Pessaries; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a rectal pessaryor suppository adapted for the relief and cure of piles, prolapsus ani, and other maladies.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective device which is light and suificiently pliable and yielding in nature to give the least possible annoyance in use, while it is adapted by its form to be held in place within the rectum by the sphincter-ani muscle; also, to provide a suitable metallic surface or coating upon a yielding support or body to produce a soothing and healing action upon the inflamed and relaxed parts.

The matter constituting my invention will be defined in the claims.

I will now particularly describe my improved pessary by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the pessary. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section thereof.

The body A is preferably made of ovoidal form with an elongated stem or neck I), which may have at its end a little knob or button a for attaching it to a tape or light band B of sufficient length to connect with a belt or other girdle adapted to go around the waist of the user. The whole body may be composed of metallic lead and made hollow for the sake of lightness and comfort to the user. I preferably make the body of rubber or caoutchouc sufficiently vulcanized or hardened to give it strength to stand and retaip its normal shape in ordinary use, but still pliable and yielding to such a degree that it will adapt itself to the varyingpositions of the body and to the varying pressure of the affected parts without causing undue pain or annoyance to the poor affiicted patient.

hen the pessary is made of rubber, it is also preferably made hollow, as shown in Fig. 2, for the sake of lightness, and so that it will more readily yield to pressure and return to its normal shape.

NVhether the rubber body be made solid or hollow, it is provided externally with a thin jacket or coating 0 of metallic lead. Vith this construction the pessary is light, easy, and effective in use.

In practice I have found that a body or jacket of pure metallic lead is most eifectual and gives the most satisfactory results. The lead is most soothing and healing to the af fected parts. I believe that the fluids present and brought into contact with the pessary when in use produce an oxide which acts remedially in addition to the supporting action of the pessary.

An important advantage of my pessary is that the metallic jacket can be readily removed and replaced by a fresh one when repeated use of the device is desired. The body A and its attachments are thus adapted for repeated use and by diiferent persons without danger of transmitting disease from one to another. The lead or other metallic capsules can be made and supplied separately and may be readily applied to the body by any person, when desired. The metallic jacket or.coating should be polished and kept clean.

In use the body of the pessary is readily inserted into the rectum after the prolapsed portion or the piles have been returned to their normal position. The stem or neck I) will be grasped by the sphincter muscle, which will thus act to hold the bulbous portion in place and prevent the walls of the rectum from collapsing or the relaxed portion from coming down. The tape 13 is carried up and secured at both ends, front and back, to a belt or other girdle around the body, so as to prevent the pessary from passing up into the rectum beyond the point where the support is required.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 18*

1. A rectal pessary formed with an ovoidal body and a reduced neck or stem and having a removable metallic jziekel', substantially as In testimony whereof I affix my signature in described. presence of two witnesses. 2. A rectal pessai'y formed with a hollow 4 pliable or yielding body and a neck or stem ROBERT \V. COFFEE. 5 and having a jacket or coating of lead, and Vitnesses:

means for holding it in position when in use, E. B. CLARKE, substantially as described. MAX GEORGII. 

